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I’ve got to put up a drugstore brand. Essence has been a love of mine ever since it ‘landed’ in Canada several years ago. I’m super impressed that nothing in the line is over $9.99 CAD. LIKE SUPER IMPRESSED.

As a loyal, loyal UDPP user for several years, it’s only right that I talk about Urban Decay. They have SO SO many items and I have so few of them. As I write now, I remember that I have forgotten to take a photo of one of my favorite Urban Decay Tools (the Good Karma brush). So while my sampling of favorites may seem small, keep in mind that I’ve got a lot of love for UD.

So of course, it wouldn’t be a UD favorites post without featuring an eyeshadow palette or thirty. I’ve selected the NAKED 2 and NAKED basics. My NAKED palette bit the dust but I’m going to circle back and pick up another because I’ve found that these shades just work. And when I say they work, I mean with almost everything. They blend so easily, they are rich and soft, well pigmented and play well with others. I’ve been working a lot with my basics palette and using those shadows as crease colors and transition shades (which I still need help with so if you have any tips, leave me a comment below!). Anyhow, these are beyond swatch-worthy and any self respecting makeup lover should have one of them in his/her arsenal. I also like that UD makes palettes in a wide array of price ranges….so if you can’t afford the vice 2 or smoked palette, you could pick up the ammo palette and still have a nice selection of eye shadows. Anyhow, enough of me, let’s look at the palettes:

NAKED 2 palette

NAKED Basics palette

And what better to apply these lovely shadows with then an eyeshadow primer? Urban Decay Primer Potion is an absolute staple for me. I don’t apply eyeshadow without it. It’s what works for my lids….and I’ve tried a LOT of products (there is one product that comes close and if you want to know about that, let me know in the comments below). I love that UDPP comes in a variety of finishes….the one I’m using now is ‘Eden’ but I also love the original and am dying to try Sin.

Urban Decay Primer Potion-I always get the *large* size

Finally, something new from UD that’s come into my life recently that I don’t want to do without are the Revolution lipsticks. These lipsticks have MAJOR stay power but are still hydrating and don’t pull on your lips during application. I think I am the only person on the planet who didn’t get the shade, 69 but whatever. There are 22 of them and I’ll work my way through them eventually. I love love LOVE this one:

Revolution lipstick in Rush

And there you have it…..

I know you must have tried Urban Decay-what are your favorites? Tell me below!

I won’t lie, this post may have a very positive slant….after all, I do know Naomi Mundy fairly well. But that won’t stop me from telling you about the treatment I received in an unbiased manner-just note, that I truly did enjoy the treatment and that should resonate in this post.

I actualy don’t have a lot of TooFaced but recognized them for their ‘box’ type tin palettes and of course, Shadow Insurance. However, some items I really truly enjoy come from this brand so without further ado,

Of course, mostly palettes! So let me start with one of my very first, that just happened to be a gift from a YouTuber (Stacysunnysidemakeup and yes, check her out). This palette contains beautiful neutrals and divides the colors into day, fashion and night looks. I’m not one to follow the rules much so I use whatever colors I feel I want to rock that particular day. This palette is a beautiful addition to any neutral lovers collection!

When I saw this palette I had to grab it. Just so much going on in one tin! I do adore it for its versatility but I find that out of the 3 palettes I have from this brand, this is the one I reach for the least! I’m not a huge fan of shadow insurance which is why that is still sitting there….for some reason, I have some ‘staying power’ issues with the shadows. Love the blush though!

This is my latest addition from TooFaced and let’s just say I AM A FAN. I was just about to pull the trigger on the UD Smoked when I saw this. Based on the pink alone, I knew I had to have it. Surprisingly, I haven’t touched the pink …..yet. This palette (like most other Too Faced palettes) comes with cards that explain different looks. The look I like the best so far from this palette is 9 to 5 rebel. The colors are strong and vibrant and the glitzy/girly one will surprise you. So many different combinations to be had with some quality shadows. This is a must and I’m glad I picked it up!

No one will be surprised when I say that I picked this blush for the packaging alone. It’s surprisingly sheer but I don’t see that as a bad thing. I appreciate the different tones in this blush…but will say if you don’t like shimmer, pass this one by. The heart shaped packaging is an added bonus in my eyes 🙂

And there you have it….not too many products but enough for me to form an opinion. Overall I like TooFaced and plan on engaging with them more in the future 😉

Disclosure: I am a #BeautyUnited blogger. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events.

Opinions are mine, and I’m not making any $$$ from writing about this!

If you watch my YouTube channel, you may remember a ‘teaser’ video I posted about an event I attended a while ago called Beauty United. The event itself was incredible-I learned a lot, and of course left with some items as well.

Surprisingly enough, I actually had this product (still in its box) tucked away in one of my Alex drawers. So when I saw it in my Beauty United gift bag, I thought “Now’s the time, the universe is telling you to use this product!”

I’ve been using this for almost a month now. Normally I try things for 2 weeks-I feel like that’s a decent amount of time to love, hate or feel ‘meh’ about a product. So how do I feel about this product?

I like it! Here’s why:

-dual ended: 2 products, 1 device. I love that this is your eye cream AND your lash serum. Not 2 separate products, no fumbling. Everything is right there.

-the eye cream can be used on your eyelid! I don’t know of many eye creams that can go on the eyelid. Many are quite thick and I would worry about irritation if it got into my eye.

-eye cream is the right consistency. I always feel like I’m in the middle of the 3 bears story with my eye creams. “This one’s too thick” , or “This one’s too thin” BUT the Olay is “juuuuussssst right.” It stays where it needs to, hydrates, but feels light-especially if you’re going to put this on your eyelid, you don’t want anything too heavy!

-lash serum WORKS! Not that I can necessarily guarantee that it does BUT I have seen a definite difference in my lash length. My right eye lashes tend to be shorter and skimpier than my left and I’ve noticed that they are more lush. My lash cycles are shorter-I don’t spend large amounts of time feeling like I have bald spots or patches.

-this products ‘plays well with others’ which is always a MAJOR concern of mine. I don’t want to waste more time trying to find products that will live in harmony together forever and ever (hashtag #overdramatic).

This is definitely worth the price-it’s available now and you should go try it!

There’s NO WAY I could do this series without the Balm. Although I don’t have a large number of favorites from this brand, there are several stand out products that I think you should know about.

My faves from the Balm

Nude Tude eyeshadow palette

Palettes

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Balm’s palettes and will almost always speak very highly of them. There is one that isn’t pictured (Meet Matt(e) Nude) that I’d like to give an honorable mention. I’m still learning to use matte shadows properly and while I do like the palette, I haven’t used it enough to include in my favorites! Moving on, my first favorite palette is Nude Tude. It’s a lovely assortment of neutrals both matte and satin/shimmer finish. The shadows are soft, buttery and well pigmented-my favorite.

Balm Jovi

One reason I love the Balm is because they make what I like to call “everything palettes.” This particular one has practically everything you need for your face included. The bottom of the palette has some ‘how-tos’ in case you need assistance coming up with a look but honestly, these colors all work wonderfully together. I stuck my finger in ‘Vanilly’, how unfortunate. Overall this palette is well done with it’s rock and roll theme!

time balm concealer

I need a concealer now more than ever and this one from the Balm is awesome. It’s on the thicker side so go lightly when applying. The thing I like MOST about this product (and I haven’t heard of any other products that are similar) is that you can actually use this as an eye treatment…..yup, you read correctly. You can apply this as an eye treatment under your eyes. While I’m not a fan of having concealer on my eyes while I sleep, if you’re in a pinch or forget your eye cream while travelling, this will come in handy.

Instain Blush

This is one of my more recent acquisitions-and this particular one is a gift from a fellow YouTuber (Julie-so thank you so much for that). There is a rant below and I want to talk about the product first and give you the opportunity to skip the rant in italics. I love this product because of the pigment and the staying power. Period. My one suggestion to you is that if you are contemplating purchasing these, go and swatch first so you can get an idea of how much is too much and think about your application technique.

I was actually VERY annoyed when I saw these on Emily Noel’s channel as she reviewed them prior to them being released and that they were released MUCH later in Canada. I hate hate HATE when bloggers and YouTubers talk about products they received but aren’t yet available to the rest of us. I try to avoid doing that….I’m all about building excitement for a product but this whole blogger/vlogger-on-a-pedestal thing has got to go. Some of them think they are celebrities!

And there you have it! My favorites from the Balm. Do you have any favorites from this brand? I bet you do….tell me about them in the comments section below!

With Chanel, the eyes definitely have it….these are 3 of my favorite quads, the 2 on the left being limited edition. I remember picking up harmonie du soir and just drooling over the rich cranberry and gold shades. Delicatesse was a more recent purchase-and I saw 2 other women say it was ‘too much’ when the Chanel counter person suggested it. Oh, I disagree….the mint is absolutely beautiful as an ‘accent’ color, and while these do have a frosty type finish, it’s subtle and super chic. Raffinement is a gorgeous collection of neutrals-can’t go wrong!

Illusion d’ombre shadows L-R: Emerville, Illusoire

I picked these up after attending a Chanel beauty event and after using them once or twice thought “oh no, I’ve made a mistake.” However, after reading some blogs, and watching some tutorials-I quickly became more comfortable with these long wearing cream/gel (?) type shadows….these 2 in particular look great together or alone. Unfortunately Illusoire came loose and fell out of it’s pot; it’s still “use-able” but not as easy to use as Emerville.

Chanel has a handle on blush, that’s for sure. Here are my favorites L-R: Candy, Rose Ecrin, Frivole. I love that these are mineralized and offer a soft, subtle finish, that’s buildable. Frivole was almost a return for me but I’m glad I kept it!

my poor poor Mademoiselle lipstick….

Believe it or not, I only have one favorite Chanel lipstick-and it has been through a lot, as you can see. I plan on depotting it and really need to get on that. This lipstick is the perfect everyday pink! I do have 2 other rouge coco shine lipsticks but this one holds a special place in my <3.

Chanel Glossimer in 176

Hey you don’t have to tell me this gloss looks INTENSE. That’s partially the reason I chose it. The other reason is that it’s actually a beautiful wine color that is completely wearable (and slightly vampy). I wear this when I’m feeling particularly sassy or cheeky.

And there you have it, my favorites from Chanel….do you have any Chanel must haves that I need to know about? Leave me a comment in the comments section!

I couldn’t do this series without mentioning MAC. I credit MAC with getting me interested in cosmetics. Please note….the below photos do NOT encompass my entire collection but what I’m showing you truly are my favorites! I also have some items from MAC that are unopened and while I know they could be potential favorites, I decided against including them in this post.

Step 2: the peel! This advanced formula helps to minimize the apprearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots, create a more even skin tone and increase skin brightness and clarity. Skin feels revitalized and fresh, and stays moisturized thanks to hydrating ingredients that help prevent skin from over drying.

A unique, hydrating, brightening mask which revitalizes, nourishes and conditions skin, while helping to fight the look of wrinkles, and mottled yellowish skin. The formula contains vitamin C and Bio-Maple which helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and improve skin tone and elasticity. It also helps to brighten skin tone, refine its texture and promote its natural appearance, revealing a fresher complexion.

Used! My thoughts:

-This mask has what I’d call a ‘clinical’ smell so if you are sensitive to fragrance or don’t like clinics (har har har), then I’d really think twice.

-This is one of my favorite products so far. It truly does brighten my skin after I use it and I LOVE that.

Diatomamaus Earth Mask

Diatomamaus Earth Mask

-Dry to normal skin

Formulated with diatomamus earth rich in natural minerals including magnesium, iron, calcium and sodium that help retain moisture while absorbing excess sebum. A blend of unique moisturizers, botanical extracts and vitamins enrich the skin, retain moisture while absorbing excess sebum.

Used! My thoughts:

-I used this when my skin was acting out, around “that time” of the month. It absorbs excess oil for sure and you will see that on your skin when you apply the mask.

-I thought for sure this one was going to dry my skin or leave patches but it sure didn’t and I like that.

-If I had to pick between the 2 masks, I would still reach for the brightening more BUT this mask is good for those ‘disgruntled skin’ phases.

BB Cream

BB Cream

-beauty balm

This 8 in 1 multi-tasking beauty balm will provide all day hydration, provide sheer, natural looking coverage, while helping to firm the look of skin and wrinkles with hyaluronic acid. Can be used alone or as a primer before foundation.

Used! My thoughts:

-Reminds me of Asian BB creams, thicker texture (but no grey cast)

-finish is sheer but coverage is light/medium, to be expected

-plays well with others-meaning I can use the product with a powder and blush with no reaction or irritation

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